Map of the World
by kickstartmyhart
Summary: Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.
1. There's A Map Of The World

**Map of the World  
**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

Our story begins with a young woman. Dressed casually in dark green coloured cargo pants and a loose fitting white tank top, you might have been able to guess who she was if you saw her, thanks to one single thing. Her love for bandanas. A crimson red one was tied around her neck, completing her look. This young woman stood outside the Satan mansion, nervously considering pressing the buzzer for the gate. Taking a deep breath, she summoned up the nerve to press it before she chickened out again.

A loud voice boomed out of the speaker.

"Who's there?"

Despite her fear, she couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of her grandfather's voice. No matter how quickly he aged, he was still acted like the young man he once was. A world champion in his prime, he had entered into fame and had reveled in it. If anyone had ever been destined to be a celebrity, it was most certainly him. He knew how to talk, how to walk, and most importantly, how to work and please a crowd. His fans had lapped up his cheesy world hero gimmick, putting their faith in him for everything. And he came through for them every time. Today, she was hoping he could come through for her.

"It's Pan, gramps."

"Oh! Pan! I'll buzz you right in."

She heard a confirmation buzz through the speaker, and with a rumble, the very gates she was in front of, slowly began to open. Pan slipped through them with ease and began walking up the driveway. The large oak doors to the mansion opened when she was halfway up the drive, revealing her grandfather. He was waving enthusiastically, his absolutely ancient dog Bee at his ankles. He still looked the same as always - crazy, curled black hair sticking out from the top of his head (although his hairline was receding slightly, he was balding a little), handlebar moustache, a brown training gi and white baggy pants. Instead of laced-up boots, he wore fluffy brown slippers. She just thanked Dende he wasn't wearing his cape and championship belt as well.

"Gramps!" She yelled happily, waving back to him.

He ushered her inside when she reached him, leading her to a sitting room not far from the entrance to his home. The sitting room was unlike anything in her house. It was lavishly decorated with tall bookcases and chintz chairs. It even played host to a bronze bust statue of himself, in typical crowd-pandering pose - a peace sign and wide grin. She could almost hear him guffawing loudly as she smirked at it. The thing that most of all made the room stand out from anyone else's sitting room was the fat pink monster who had plopped himself on the floor. Majin Buu.

"Hi Buu," Pan grinned. She hadn't been alive during the whole Bibidi-Babidi-Buu saga, but had been filled in many times by her family. A demon whom had been created to terrorize the Earth, this _good _Buu had mostly certainly changed his ways and turned over a new leaf - all thanks to her grandfather. He, along with Bee, had shown Buu the kindness and friendship he never had but had maybe secretly craved. As stupid as some of her family and friends' stories about her grandfather were sometimes, he truly was a hero in many ways.

Because Hercule Satan was her grandfather and she visited his house a fair bit, Buu and herself had become fast friends. He had protected her whilst Baby laid waste to the Earth and she was forever in debt to him.

"Pan!" Buu squealed excitedly, looking up from the box of chocolates he was devouring. "Pan want chocolate?"

"Yes please," he handed her a piece that was half dark chocolate and half white, knowing that it was her favourite. "Thank you." It _was_ quite tasty.

"Buu like chocolate." The Majin turned his attention back to his box of chocolates, carefully selecting the pieces with flavours that he liked best. "Chocolate yum-yum!"

Hercule was busying himself fixing his granddaughter a drink of red wine. He'd obviously just been drinking some himself as there was a half-empty glass sitting on the side-table.

"Here you go sweetpea," he handed her a glass as she settled herself into one of the chintz chairs. He did the same, picking up his own glass and swirling the liquid inside around. "Don't worry, I won't tell Videl." Hercule winked. She sipped quietly from her glass as he chuckled to himself. Just what did he think she was, fourteen? If only he knew about some of the crazy nights she and Bra had participated in previously.

"Now what can I do for you? How have you been? It's been awhile."

"Sorry grampa, I've just been so busy with school and stuff..." The twenty-year old's voice trailed off. She was currently studying for a Bachelor in Journalism at university and had already been at it for one year. It was her goal to become an author, something that had been spurred on by her trip around the universe to locate the Black Star Dragonballs. She took another deep breath. "I'm good though. School's okay. But..."

Her grandfather leaned forward in his chair anxiously. "But?"

She'd just have to come out with it. Nice and fast, just like ripping off a bandaid.

"Well, speaking of school, I was kind of thinking of deferring for a year." She paused for a brief moment, giving it time to sink in. To his credit, he didn't react in any kind of crazy way. "To go travelling and stuff. I have seen so much of the universe but never of this world. Or even of this country! Do you think mom and dad would be angry?"

There was silence while he mulled this over.

"Well, I don't know Pan. I think if it was something that you really wanted to do, they'd support it. They supported you through your journey in outer space after all, bwahaha!" Hercule laughed at his own joke. His laughter died off after awhile though, and his expression changed to a much more serious one.

"But Pan, you've always been a headstrong little girl. I don't think that you needed to ask the champ for permission." His tone softened slightly. "Or... do you need help with something? Do you need money?"

The light blush that crossed his granddaughter's face gave him the answer that he needed.

"Panny, you know that your grampa is always here for you. He's always here to get you out of a bind."

Hercule turned to Buu, who had apparently not been paying attention to their conversation whatsoever, and was still concentrating very hard on his chocolates.

"Buu, I have a favour to ask of you."

The Majin got to his feet ("Buu come!") and leaned in close to Hercule, who cupped a hand over the side of his head and whispered something to him. ("Oh!") The fat pink demon left the room, only to return moments later, Hercule's wallet and chequebook in hand ("Buu back!"). He handed them both over to his long-time friend, before plopping himself back down on the floor again, chocolates at the ready.

"The champ is going to write you a cheque, sweetpea. He wants you to not worry about the amount that's written on it, because he is set for life. He has more than enough money to live on. What's important to him is making sure that his Panny is happy." As he spoke, he was scribbling a figure onto a cheque and signing it. "I think this should be enough."

He handed it over to her. She accepted it wearily, her dark eyes widening at the extortionate number.

"Um, gramps..." Pan swallowed thickly. "Are you sure about this? It's a_ lot _of money..."

Hercule smiled at his granddaughter.

"I have already lived a great life Pan. There is nothing more that I need. You _know_ that you mean the world to me. If I can do anything to help in making you happy, then I will."

She stared hesitantly at it, worrying.

"Take it. _Take it._"

"Um.. I guess I could..."

Her grandfather's smile never wavered.

"Now head on down to the bank, missy!"

"O-okay..." Pan stammered, still overwhelmed by the amount he'd written down on the little piece of paper; the amount of money he was prepared to give to her with the slightest ease. "Um.. thanks gramps. I really, really appreciate this. Wow. Um. You don't know how much this means to me."

She stood. He followed suit, leaning over and hugging her tightly.

"I love you Pan."

Pan smiled.

"I love you too, grampa. Thanks again."

After she folded up the cheque and jammed it into her cargo pants pocket, she said her goodbyes to both Buu and Bee. Buu hugged her in a similar fashion to her grandfather ("Buu will miss Pan!"). She didn't think she would ever get used to the way he was squishy like jelly. Bee licked her ankle feverishly, trotting along beside her as she headed out the front door and down the driveway.

"Good luck Panny!" her grandfather called.

* * *

She was just about to enter the bank across town, when she saw a familiar flash of lilac-coloured hair. As the crowds dissipated, she saw that she was not in fact wrong in thinking that she had spotted an old friend of hers, Trunks Briefs. Dressed in his typical work attire of a tan suit, white button-up undershirt and red tie, he had an angry looking expression written all over his facial features and appeared to be juggling a sandwich, coffee, planner, cell phone and briefcase all at once. As Pan debated over whether to actually say hello to him or not, he saw her standing there watching him and made his way over.

"Pan!" he smiled broadly. "It's been awhile."

It had been. She hadn't seen him in a few years. He had been very busy with his Presidency work at Capsule Corporations and she had been busy with finishing high school and then beginning university. She must have been about seventeen or eighteen when she saw him last - now she was twenty.

He went to hug her but dropped his briefcase and his coffee, the latter's lid separating itself from the cup and spilling all over the pavement. "Aw, crap..." he moaned, picking up his briefcase, which had thankfully not opened upon hitting the ground. Once he'd gathered his things once more, he did in fact hug her and exclaim, "You're all grown up now!"

"_Now_?" she glared playfully at him. "Quiet, Trunks. What are you doing out here?"

"I'm meant to be on my lunch break," he sounded frazzled. His cell phone started ringing and he groaned. "But you can see how well that's going."

"Wow. I guess they're working you really hard." Pan eyed his cell phone, which was still ringing - he hadn't answered it yet. "Shouldn't you get that?"

"I'd rather not." He opened it up and pressed the 'reject' button, silencing it temporarily. "Now you tell _me_, what are you doing out here?"

"Uhh... the bank." Pan fished the cheque out of her pocket and held it up. "Gramps gave me some money." she finished lamely.

He plucked the cheque from her hands and raised his eyebrows at the number. It was a figure that was nothing new to him, but he came from one of the most richest and successful families in the world, thanks to Capsule Corporations. That sort of cash was, at times, merely pocket change for the Briefs. Trunks felt bad for thinking it, but the Sons were not exactly the type to have that much money within their reach.

"What do you need that kind of money for?" He asked as he handed it back to her.

"Weellllll... I'm going to travel for awhile. A long while. I saw so much of the universe with you guys, but I haven't seen even a quarter as much of this world."

"All by yourself?" Trunks' cell phone started ringing again. He ignored it.

"I guess so," she chuckled. "Are you sure you shouldn't answer your phone? Someone seems like they really want to talk to you."

He eyeballed her frustratedly. "Pan, I am currently the President of a multi-billion dollar company. A global corporation! I have to answer phones and sign contracts and sort out deals almost every freakin' day. I'm, frankly, sick of it. So yes, I am sure I shouldn't answer my phone."

"Um.." Pan shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry?"

"No," Trunks sighed loudly, running a hand through his lavender locks. "I'm the one who should be sorry. And I am. I'm just stressed out and over-worked. I've been at this for several years and it just doesn't get any easier."

"Sounds like you need a vacation," Pan nodded sympathetically. Then she brightened up, an idea popping into her mind. "Hey! You could come with me if you wanted to!"

"I don't really think that I can..." His voice trailed off absent-mindedly. His cell phone was ringing again. He opened it up and checked who exactly was calling him. Mr. Yamaguchi. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh. Trunks swiftly diverted the phone call. He simply couldn't deal with all of this right now. It was much too hard, and Pan was right, he did need a break. Trunks opened his planner and looked at what his secretary had already scheduled for him for the rest of the week. It was chock-a-block with meetings and events and balls and everything he hated about being President of his company. He didn't even want to consider what was on the agenda for the rest of the year. Trunks looked up at Pan - his old friend - who was still staring at him expectantly with widened eyes. He smirked in a way that was very reminiscent of his father. "You know what? I think I can make time for it."

He would have to ring Meredith and tell her to clear the calendar until the time was right. He'd have to ring his mother, inform her of his plans, and get reamed out by her. Possibly by his father too. There was lots of work to do. But it would all be worth it for a break.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This note is about the relationships depicted so far in this story and the background behind them. I really liked the dynamic behind Mr Satan, Buu and Bee's relationship in Dragon Ball Z. I thought it was very endearing and was happy that they kept Buu around for a little while longer. It was really sweet to see Mr. Satan post-Buu at the tournament and how sad he was that he was gone. I believe that they developed a real rapport there and was sad when it was over. I really wanted to write about them, which is why they are included in the story here.

I also liked the relationship between Mr Satan and Pan, as well. It was very obvious from the beginning that he cared about her very deeply. I do think that he would do almost anything for her, which is the reasoning behind him lending her money.

When it comes to Pan and Trunks, in GT, it's depicted that Pan does care about him very deeply. Whether it's because she had a crush on him, I'm not sure, but to me it came across that she did genuinely care for him as her best friend and vice versa. This story is about them as friends first and foremost, whether I pair them up in the future is up in the air.

As for the story itself, this chapter is not particularly long, but it's just to set the tone and theme for the rest of the story - travelling! I recently went overseas myself and have been places before, so I wanted to write something about people travelling. I went to the movies yesterday and saw a trailer for Eat, Pray, Love and I did not even think about how this story could be compared to it until then.

Finally, the description of Pan's outfit was inspired by a picture of Pan and Trunks I saw drawn on DeviantArt.


	2. On The Wall In Your Room

**Map of the World**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from college for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

Pan had cashed in her cheque at the bank and Trunks had taken the time necessary off work. Bulma wasn't as mad as he'd suspected she would be and agreed wholeheartedly that he had been working hard lately and deserved some time away from the company. She also kindly agreed to take his place and become interim President of Capsule Corporation whilst he was gone. The contracts were signed, and finally, it was all set in stone. He borrowed some capsules he thought would come in handy for the adventure: a few air-crafts, a portable house in case they did not want to book a hotel, and some storage units for shopping. He packed his bags and made his way to the Son home a few days later to meet up with his new travel companion. Gohan and Videl were waiting inside with her at the kitchen table. Like Bulma, they hadn't taken it as badly as Pan had imagined. They both trusted that the thirty-four year old would take care of their baby girl. Videl had still been appalled by the amount of money her father had given her daughter, though.

At the kitchen table, the parents were drinking their coffees, talking amongst themselves. Pan sat across from them, reading a celebrity gossip magazine (there was a very long article dedicated to Bra and what she had been up to recently) and sipping on some orange juice. She was dressed appropriately for January weather, decked out in ankle boots, faded black jeans, a loose grey t-shirt and a cropped black leather jacket. A black and blue plaid scarf was draped carelessly around her neck. The twenty-year old university student looked up from her magazine when she heard his footsteps and smiled broadly – she really couldn't believe that he'd actually agreed to come with her! It would be just like old times, running around all different kinds of planets and chasing after the ever-elusive Dragonballs.

"Trunks!" Gohan put down his mug, pushed back his chair and met him with a handshake. "It's so good to see you again."

Videl waved from her chair.

"Thanks Gohan. You too. It's been awhile since I've actually had a break." he laughed.

"They put your nose to the grindstone over there." The scholar frowned a little. "But I'm relieved that Pan isn't travelling by herself. As we all know, sometimes, this planet is just not safe."

Trunks walked over to Pan and messed up her hair. "It'll be nice to play babysitter again."

"Shut up old man." Pan growled playfully back at him.

He chuckled. "You ready? The jet-copter's good to go."

They weren't using their own ability to fly because they'd decided together that would be boring and a bit tiring. Using a vehicle would make them feel more like tourists. She nodded, picking up her giant duffel bags which were sitting beside her chair. One was blue in colour, with giant white polka dots. The other was bright pink with black lining. The girl certainly had developed an eclectic taste in style as she had aged, that was for sure. Once she had retrieved them, the entire Son family and Trunks headed outside to where the mode of transport was waiting – the jet-copter itself. The intrepid travellers had already decided on their first destination. It would be Osaka. It was only about an hour or so by plane from where their origin was so it would be an easy trip.

Gohan and Videl helped load Pan's bags onto the air-craft, then began saying their goodbyes. There were no tears from any of them – just hugs and kisses and words of encouragement. Then they stood back and let their daughter go. She waved goodbye one last time and jumped into the jet-copter. Trunks stood by, watching idly, until he was broken out of his reverie by a loud banging noise. Eyes searching the scene, he quickly realised that Pan was banging on one of the windows, beckoning for him to get inside the air-craft. He laughed at her childish yet amusing behaviour and copied her actions by entering the vehicle. The demi-Saiyan made his way into the cockpit, strapping himself into the seat carefully with his seat-belt. He then began the necessary requirements to getting the engine started, flicking all sorts of switches and hitting buttons in a pattern that Pan didn't understand whatsoever. Instead she settled herself into her own seat, which was next to his. Moments later, she felt the whole vehicle rumble and knew that they were ready to go. She watched as it lifted up into the air with a jolt – her parents already looked like ants. Next thing she knew, Trunks was doing a u-turn and heading it in the other direction, toward Osaka. Blue sky and clouds passed by her window.

"Are you excited?" Pan asked him, her voice a little muffled. The reason for this was because her face was pointed toward the window as she watched the clouds outside.

Almost immediately, Trunks answered. "Of course. Like I've said, I haven't had time off in a long time. I also haven't seen you in a long time. It'll be good to catch up."

"I know!" she agreed enthusiastically. "Only don't ask me all those catch up questions until we get there. I don't want us to be completely exhausted of conversation before we even arrive." A giggle. Trunks agreed with this train of thought, quietening down and concentrating on his pilot skills. The jet-copter wasn't particularly hard to operate, but he supposed it would be better for everyone if they _didn't_ crash.

* * *

An hour or so later, Pan found herself awakening from a slumber as the jet-copter rumbled to a halt. She surmised that she must've fallen asleep from the sheer boredom of the trip. A glance outside the window told her that Trunks had parked the vehicle near the sea, because all she could see was water, a port, and plenty of boats.

"We're at Hannan Port," he confirmed with a nod when he saw she'd woken up. "It's just off Osaka Bay. The hotel is not far from here."

Pan had wanted to book a hotel for the first few days they were travelling so she had the opportunity to feel like a real tourist. He'd sorted it out one day on his own, picking the one that he found the nicest.

She smiled sleepily at him. He was unbuckling his seatbelt and she had to shake the cobwebs out of her head before realising she should do the same. After picking up their luggage and heading off the jet-copter, Trunks whipped a little plastic box out of his pocket. He opened it. Inside were tiny different coloured capsules all lined up in a row. He picked out a purple one from the top row, which had the number '3' on it. The demi-Saiyan threw it at the jet-copter. There was a explosive noise and a giant puff of pink smoke. Not long after, the jet-copter was capsulated and safely tucked inside Trunks' little plastic box. He then picked out a bright orange one with a number '7' on it. He repeated the same process, only instead of putting a vehicle inside of the capsule, a car emerged. It was a sleek model. Pan quickly loaded both their bags into the back seat and jumped into the passenger side, grinning happily.

"Come on Trunks, you slow-poke! Old age catching up with you?"

She pulled a face at him and poked out her tongue cheekily. He grinned back, feeling like a child again as he ran around to the other side of the car and jumped in.

* * *

A quick drive and about ten minutes later, they arrived in front of their hotel. They unloaded everything for the final time that day and headed into the lobby. The receptionist that began checking them in was a pretty redhead. She was curvy and freckly and tanned. Trunks spoke smoothly and suavely to the her, their eyes locked on each others the whole time. By the time she had finished the process of checking them in, she was blushing heavily. Pan nudged him when she noticed this, winking. The receptionist handed them their key cards and various brochures, informing them where to go. The two headed up the elevator, found their floor and then located their room. Pan rushed in first, kicking off her ankle boots and throwing herself back first onto the closest bed.

Their hotel room was beautiful in its own simple kind of way. It wasn't big by any means. The floor was completely wooden. The windows were little 'Shoji screens' – sliding door-style windows. There was a bathroom located almost directly by the front door and a small hallway that lead down into an open area which played host to their two double beds. The mattress was a faded brown in colour, the sheets a blinding white. There was a white TV unit – that, of course, had a flat-screen television sitting on top of it. A little mini-fridge sat under it. To the left of the television unit was a little white desk. It was decorated with a large golden lamp, a statuette that appeared to be of a crystallised tree and a notepad and pen. She loved it. Trunks really had made a great choice.

"So what was that all about, eh?" she inquired, a big smirk on her face.

He threw his jacket down on the floor before laying down beside her on the bed she'd obviously selected as her own and laughed loudly.

"The girl?"

Pan rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Who else?"

"I don't know." Trunks sighed. "I'm on vacation and I haven't had a girlfriend in a long time. I don't know what fun is."

She nodded absent-mindedly, agreeing with him but not caring too much as her attention was now locked on the television remote and flicking through the various channels the hotel had provided.

"What about you?" he nudged her now. "Who's the man in your life?"

A groan. "There is no man." A little pause. "Well, there was. But we split up."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. We got really busy with other things and just sort of stopped seeing each other." Her voice trailed off as she finally settled on a channel. Trunks didn't press the issue further, instead tuning in to whatever she was watching. It seemed like a soccer match, only the field appeared to be made out of an inflatable floor and safety barriers, much like a jumping castle. It also appeared to be covered in some kind of wax. The competitors - one team wearing a royal blue, the other a bright red - would slip and slide across the "field", looking stupid, in a wacky attempt to try and hit the ball into the opposing goal. Some tried different tactics, one person giving hopping across the field a go, another trying an incredible dive that landed him halfway across the field and head-first into the barrier. Luckily it was inflatable and he was wearing a helmet! Both Pan and Trunks couldn't stop laughing at it - it was completely ridiculous. Eventually, the blue team somehow managed to score a couple of goals more than the red team to win the game. As a result, the red team was completely doused in hot wax. The pair watched as the team ran off the field screaming in agony, facial expressions contorted in pain and hands flailing.

"Wow, this is my new favourite show." The twenty-year old university student was rolling around on the bed, still giggling.

He chuckled. "Where do people come up with this stuff?"

"I have no idea. Could you imagine some of our friends and family on it though?"

Trunks thought about it. Someone like Krillin or Yamcha would look like even more of a doofus if they ever participated on a Japanese game-show. He snorted to himself.

Pan stretched out all her limbs, then rubbed her stomach cutely.

"I guess this is where my one-quart of Saiyan blood kicks in, but I am absolutely _starved._ Can we go eat, puh-leeeeaaaasee?" She begged, putting on a puppy-dog face.

"I'm more Saiyan than you are, kid. How hungry do you think I am?"

* * *

"Ahhhhhh!" Pan sighed happily as they settled into their seats at a restaurant they'd found around the corner from the hotel in an alleyway. Signs outside, detailed in a mixture of hiragana and katakana, told them that a variety of things were served inside, which was a big selling point for them. "I can't wait to eat."

After she picked up her menu and began scrutinising each item carefully, Trunks gestured for the waitress, and when she came over to their table, he pointed at a few things on his own menu, trying to pick different things he thought the two of them would enjoy – and in higher quantities than most people would eat, thanks to their Saiyan heritage.

"My treat today, kiddo." he stated, reaching over and taking her menu. Pan looked somewhat startled, but her expression soon changed to that of a smiley one.

"Okay, but next time I'm shouting. Don't think you'll be flashing your cash everywhere, rich boy." She poked out her tongue.

"Hey, hey," he pretended to be offended. "I even bought you a drink. It's the first time I've bought you one legally. And this is how you say thanks?"

"What'd you get me, Asahi beer?" Trunks nodded, a smirk plastered on his face. Pan laughed. "I guess I should feel honoured."

"Don't get too drunk." he warned teasingly, "We still have a lot of exploring to do today. Where would you like to go?"

She brightened up. "I was thinking of starting off with Osaka Castle, then maybe just doing some wandering around. No need to go too overboard. After all, it's only our first day on the road! What do you think, Trunks?"

"Sounds good to me, I've never been there before either."

Five minutes passed, the two falling into a comfortable chat about the respective hot-spots in Osaka they wanted to visit whilst there. She had to make several trips, but the waitress eventually stopped by with all of their plates of food and drinks. Pan's eyes widened in over-exaggerated excitement when she caught sight of each dish being placed on the table. A different exclamation was yelled out one after another.

"Oh man, _udon_!"

"Sushi!"

"Takoyaki!"

There was still more there. She grinned at him cheerfully.

"I don't know which one to choose!"

"Choose whatever." That was fine for him to say, he was already pulling a bowl of kitsune udon toward him, chopsticks at the ready. Hot broth in a murky-brown colour ('_Probably curry-flavoured_,' Pan noted) filled the black porcelain bowl. Seaweed and leek added flavour. Trunks was already expertly transferring noodles from the bowl to his mouth. Pan decided to get started on the sushi, selecting two pieces of California rolls and two avocado maki flavoured ones. She used her chopsticks to dip them in the soy sauce provided and ate ravenously.

"So what was his name?" Trunks kick-started the conversation once more. "The ex-boyfriend's?"

"Hmm?" Pan looked up from selecting a salmon skin roll. "Oh. His name was Kenta. I met him at university. He was studying a Bachelor in Criminology and Criminal Justice when I last saw him."

"You two would've made quite the pair," Trunks chuckled. "Studying journalism, aren't you?"

She nodded in response.

"I want to write a book, though."

"Really?" A lavender-coloured eyebrow was raised. "Have you started it?"

"Um, not really." she laughed. She paused from eating for a moment and took a sip from the beer Trunks had talked about not long before. "I'm lazy. This trip could give me some really good ideas though. Maybe I'll start writing your autobiography. I'll call it '_Boxers or Briefs? - The Tale of Trunks_.'" She roared with laughter at her own joke, Trunks soon joining in.

"Silly kid."

"Old man, you need to learn how to have fun."

Their conversation continued on in a similar way as they devoured their food. Beers were chugged. They bickered like a brother and a sister, like two people that had never spent a day apart. You wouldn't have been able to tell they hadn't seen each other in two years prior to the day before if you were someone on the outside looking in. Clearly, their friendship was something familiar to become a part of; something easy to become return to. Without realising it, they talked for over half an hour after the food had disappeared from their plates, when the waitress returned to their table. It had been awhile and there was a line-up of people waiting to get into the restaurant. Lunch was their busy time! They had to go. Graciously, the two friends left, Trunks leaving a generous tip on his way out.

It was time to go to Osaka Castle and time for them to begin a new adventure.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter! I really appreciated them because they were very in-depth and gave me a lot to think about and work with. Please please please please review again! I've just started my own Creative Writing course and actually getting reviews helps me out a lot in the long run. Plus, I love hearing what everyone else thinks of my work! So please do let me know! It would be much appreciated!

Not too much happened in this chapter – I am just giving people a glimpse of what Trunks and Pan's friendship is like after a couple of years not seeing one another. They are getting the chance to reconnect and bond once more. It's almost as though their friendship is starting anew, with both as adults. They will learn things about, and from, one another. Their friendship/relationship (whatever you would like to call it) is definitely going to be a driving force behind the story. And don't worry, they won't be the only Dragon Ball Z/GT stars featured in the story! I do have ideas planned for future chapters! I ended this chapter where I did because I didn't want it to drag on too much.

Oh, and the soccer thing – it's real! My friends actually found it on television in Japan and thought it was hilarious! We couldn't stop laughing. I'm doing my best to research everything I can about Japan, even the places I have visited! I hope that it shows!


	3. Green Pins Where You Wanna Go

**Map of the World**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

"Osaka Castle was so beautiful," Pan sighed loudly as Trunks exited the bathroom, hair still dripping wet from his shower, boxer shorts and a t-shirt on. It was later that day, at night, and she was sitting cross-legged on her bed in her pyjamas, flicking through the photos on her digital camera. The top was decorated with blue and white stripes and the collar rimmed with red. The bottoms were also blue and red, and were quite short in length.

"Check out this one!" She threw the camera onto his bed. He picked it up and looked at the photo. It was a shot of the exterior of Osaka Castle. Taken from the outside street, the several tiered castle loomed over a faded brick wall and snow-topped trees. The castle itself, the walls white in colour, had a lovely oriental feel to it, with high pointed roofs in a shade of light green, the points adorned with tiny golden statues. It _was_ a great photo. Trunks smiled as he looked through a couple more following it. There was a couple of shots they'd asked a passerby to take of the both of them standing in front of the castle. One was a serious, happy photo, with both of them smiling happily. The second was of them pulling stupid faces – Pan had crossed her eyes, stuck out her tongue and posed with her arms, legs and bottom sticking out in different directions. He had pulled down the bottom lids of his eyes and was baring his teeth ferociously. He liked these ones too.

There were more pictures on the camera of the outside of the castle, before they'd headed inside. Pan had squealed with delight when she noticed that they could get a little tram around the grounds – aptly titled the "Road Train". It had only cost them 200 zenni apiece and had leisurely passed through the pretty green scenery. The train came in sight of the main tower and the majestic outer moats and she had been clicking away on her camera like there was no tomorrow. It had been a nice afternoon.

"What do you think we should do tomorrow?" her voice cut through the silence. She had silently grabbed some brochures and maps and travel guides out of her bag whilst he'd been looking at the camera, and was flicking through them with interest. Beside her lay an opened box of Pocky she'd picked up on their way home (as she bought it, she'd confessed a love of it to him).

"Hmm..." Trunks began, getting up from his bed and settling himself beside her. He picked a brochure out of the bundle. _Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN _was plastered across the cover in bright yellow text. Below the title was a picture of a couple of dolphins swimming around in a blue tank. He pulled it open. Several pages inside featured different animals, ranging from sea otters to rainbow trout to seals to penguins and stingrays. There was a page filled with text about the aquarium – opening times, location, admission prices. Only 2000 zenni each for adults!

"I think we should go here." he passed her the brochure.

She glanced at it.

"It does look like fun. Besides, I picked Osaka Castle today so it's only fair that you get the next choice. The aquarium it is!" A cheeky grin crossed her features. "I hope you don't mind but while you were in the shower, I may have ordered room service. It'll be here soon."

He rolled his blue eyes jokingly. Like he would care. As he'd pointed out to her earlier, he was more Saiyan than she was, and it wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

* * *

About half an hour passed when there was a knock on the door. Trunks had been watching television while Pan scribbled something in a notebook – _her diary or something_, he'd guessed. It turned out that she'd ordered several pizzas – the man at the door was confused at the large amount – and some mochi ice-cream for afters. The good thing about mochi ice-cream was that it didn't melt as quickly as regular ice-cream, thanks to the outside case. The chefs had also kindly provided some dry ice for it to be placed on and toothpicks to eat it from.

"Pizza?" he questioned. "Classy."

Pan finally looked up from her notebook and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sorry, Mr-I-Dine-At-Expensive-Restaurants. Not _everybody_ is rich, you know!"

"You're right," he sighed sarcastically, "Not everybody is Trunks Briefs."

She chuckled. He passed her a couple of the plates with pizzas on them, keeping many more for himself. Both of them dug in with gusto. Trunks surfaced a few minutes later, half of his third pizza demolished, when Pan addressed him.

"So, Trunks. You've been quizzing me about my love life, but I've heard nothing about yours. Since nobody else is as rich and famous and amazing as you are, surely you have women throwing themselves at you. What's the go?"

"Um, nothing." He stuffed more pizza in his mouth. "I haven't been out with anyone in awhile."

"That's so boring," Pan commented dryly, munching on some pizza crust.

"Yeah, well, my life _is_ boring."

She snorted. Her reaction made him feel like he owed something to her. Next, he found himself blurting out,

"Did you know Marron and I used to date?"

"WHAT?" she yelled in shock, almost choking on her food. "Did you guys do it?"

"No, no," Trunks laughed lightly. "I think the most we ever did was hold hands. I don't think we even kissed."

An amused Pan's eyebrows were raised. She didn't appear to believe him.

"I'm serious!" He was still laughing. "It was a _long _time ago. Years. We only ever went out a few times. It just didn't click between us. I'm glad it didn't – I think her and Uub are a great couple."

Pan had to agree there. An outsider might not expect the two to be an actual pairing, but anyone who knew them both realised that they were quite suited for one another. Her grandfather, Goku Son, was Uub's mentor and trainer for many years. The two had formed a real rapport, almost like brothers. With the world now free from danger, Goku believed that Uub needed to see the world, much like Pan was doing now, and gain some real life experience. He wanted to see him living his life, happily. He wanted to find him someone special. So, he had turned to his best friend, Krillin, for aid. He knew that Krillin and 18 had given birth to a pretty blonde girl named Marron three years before Uub was born. He also knew that Marron had sweet and kind characteristics that matched the same ones in Uub. Krillin had helped in setting them up. The two had surprisingly hit it off and were still going strong as a couple, two years later.

"I guess you have a point there." She admitted begrudgingly. But then her tone changed into a teasing one. "But we're talking about you. Shouldn't you be settling down by now? You're getting on in age. Thirty-four, is it now?"

"Hey," he looked miffed. "At least I don't look thirty-four."

"That's definitely something I love about our heritage."

"Mom's always on my case about settling down though. She wants grandchildren and Bra's obviously nowhere near taking that leap. Dad doesn't seem to care too much about it, though I know the majority of the women on this planet he wouldn't approve of."

"He's such a hypocrite." Pan giggled. "His partner is an Earth woman."

"Haha, I know. I have never met two people more opposite..."

"Yet exactly the same!" she chimed in.

Nodding, he continued, "... and more perfect for each other than those two, though."

There was a lull in the conversation as both of them thought about Bulma and Vegeta's history together. They were both in their late sixties now, with two successful adult children. Vegeta still looked as young as ever, whereas Bulma's aging was showing on her face and body. It was somewhat sad. They both knew that no matter what Bulma looked like, Vegeta would love her anyway – even if he didn't always say it – but it didn't change the fact that one day, Bulma would indeed die before him.

"I'm not saying that someday soon I wouldn't like to get married and have children and everything be perfect and settled. I just haven't found the person that makes me want to do that."

His female companion nodded sympathetically as she set down her pizza plates, now empty. In the time they had been talking, both had been munching on their dinner, and the food had quickly disappeared. In her eyes, it was time for dessert. She had quite the sweet tooth. Pan speared one of the green mochi ice-cream balls on a toothpick and bit into it.

"Ooh, green tea flavoured," she smiled.

Trunks followed suit, selecting a toothpick and checking out his options. There was an array of coloured ice-cream balls sitting neatly on the dry ice – a pale red, a bright orange, yellow, several kinds of pinks, a deep purple, brown, white. He ended up choosing the bright orange.

"Mango!"

"Mmm.." This time Pan picked a light pink one. Strawberry. "So what about your job as well? Is that really what you want to do with the rest of your life?"

"Not really," He furrowed his brow. "I'm fucking bored of it. It's so tedious. What I'd really like to do is.."

He blushed.

"What? You can tell me! Who am I gonna tell, the receptionist?"

"I'd love to open my own martial arts school. Bra's got her fashion designing business, Goten's got his restaurant... even you are trying to do your own thing with university and travelling.. but I am the only one stuck in a job I agreed to do when I was young."

Pan looked surprised. "You've never struck me as the passive type, Briefs. If you hate it so much, then why don't you just quit? I'm pretty sure your mom wouldn't care that much if you were doing something _you_ cared about. Don't be such a wuss."

He raised an eyebrow at her as he leaned over for one of the brown – chocolate-flavoured – mochi ice-cream balls. "Have you ever even worked a day in your life? I've been attached to this company for over a decade. It's hard to give it up just like that."

Pan didn't even get offended by his comments about her never working and glossed over it like it was nothing. She simply chewed on her third mochi ice-cream ball, this one a pale red in colour and red bean in flavour, contemplating his answer.

"I'm not saying it isn't hard. But it's still possible. You're stronger than this. You _can _do it."

"Hmm.." he pondered. "Maaaybe.."

"Just think about it." She pressed.

"Okay." Trunks scrunched up his face, his voice a little quiet. "I'm kinda tired. I think I'll try sleep."

"You can't sleep! Who's going to help me eat all this ice-cream?"

"I'll help do that," he grinned. "But then it's bed time, alright?"

"Jeez, you really are an old man."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry about the large absence in between updates – I've had a rough July-August and have not been inspired to write anything. But I'm back now and hope to get back on the saddle! I am sorry if this chapter wasn't too long. It's not too adventurous just yet because I am still trying to put some back-story to the characters, which will hopefully allow them to grow as the story continues. I do have an ending planned for this story and now I have to fill in the gaps.

Just to clear things up, I've been doing some research with the ages of the characters. I hope that's obvious! I have made the age gaps the exact amount (or thereabouts) that they would've been in the show/s. I believe that they are pretty close/realistic. In this story, since Trunks is 34 and Pan 20, that would make Marron 29 and Uub 26. This would henceforth make Bra 21 and Goten 33, when they are introduced. This would also make Vegeta and Bulma 68 and 67, respectively, and both Videl and Gohan 42.

About dessert: Mochi ice cream is a delicious Japanese dessert/finger food. Mochi itself is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. To make mochi ice cream, small balls of ice cream are wrapped inside a mochi covering.


	4. White Pins Where You Been

**Map of the World**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

They'd made their way to Osaka Aquarium, just as planned.

"Trunks, you're not mad at me, are you?"

Trunks looked over at his companion. She wasn't looking him directly in the eyes, but rather, nervously avoiding his stare and pretending to be interested in some brightly coloured jellyfish.

After he'd ate his fill of ice-cream the night before, he'd gone to bed almost immediately. She had given him a lot to think about it, with her constant queries about his job and his happiness there, and it had taken him awhile to get to sleep. He still didn't think he'd reached a decision, a final _thought_, about his work life. It had been on his mind all morning whilst they were at the aquarium, and he knew that, as a result, he'd been very quiet. He just didn't realise that Pan had picked up on it, and straight away felt bad. She had only been trying to help. She was only trying to be a supportive friend.

"No, I'm not Panno." Trunks smiled kindly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. At his touch, she looked up at him and saw the smile on his face. Relief washed over her like rain. How awkward it would have been to have him mad at her! Especially only a few days into their journey!

"It's just something I think about a lot. And you telling me to quit doesn't make it any easier."

"I'm sorry." She looked mortified. "I shouldn't have. It's not really any of my business."

He began walking ahead of her, further down the path. They were in a kind of aquarium tunnel, where the whole room surrounding them, including the walls and roof, was part of the tank. It was a very pretty scene, watching all of the animals swimming around peacefully. It had indeed been a good idea to come here. Trunks paused by a giant turtle that had stopped by the window and appeared to be staring back at him in confusion. He pulled a stupid face at it in retaliation, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue.

"I forgive you." He teased, eyes still on the turtle. It reminded him of the one that lived on Master Roshi's small island. "But sooner or later you'll owe me a secret that isn't really any of _my_ business."

She pretended to ponder this.

"I'll allow it. I'll let you choose the moment you want to hear the secret, as well. It doesn't even have to be right now. It could be tomorrow, it could be five months from now. It could be five _years_ from now. Whenever you want to cash in."

"Great." Trunks grinned. "Expect the unexpected."

* * *

After finishing up at the aquarium and wandering the streets of Osaka, they made their way back to the hotel, arms laden with shopping bags and goodies. Pan, a little over excited by the amount of money she had had to spend, had gone slightly overboard with her purchases. To force her guilt into submission, they hadn't all been for her – they had been souvenirs and gifts for her friends and family as well. She packed them all away into a capsule so they'd be out of sight and therefore out of mind, before turning to Trunks (who had found her happiness over money hilarious and almost laughed himself sick), a plan forming in her head.

"We should go out!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her, a bit skeptical. She saw this and opened her mouth to speak,

"When was the last time you even went out Trunks? It'll be _fun_!"

Trunks frowned, actually trying to remember the last time he went out. When _was_ it? He had a vague memory of hitting up a bar awhile ago with Goten, Marron and Uub. Pan nor Bra had been old enough to drink back then (not that that, he was sure, had probably stopped them). He also had a memory of him only having a couple of drinks, barely enough to get a buzz going, and leaving fairly early because he'd had work the next morning. His frown deepened when he remembered all of this – oh my god, was he becoming _boring_? Was he really that focused on his job, that old? Had he forgotten how to have fun? Pan had a point. Plus, he reasoned with himself, it _was_ one of their last nights in Osaka before they hit the road again.

"I'm down for it." Trunks finally agreed.

* * *

About an hour later, Pan emerged from the bathroom, ready in her going-out attire. Trunks had finished getting ready about forty minutes earlier, having beaten her to the bathroom. It hadn't taken much for him to look good, though. He'd showered, powered up slightly to dry his hair, and thrown on some nice clothes – a long-sleeved charcoal coloured shirt and black jeans. When he looked up at her, he was stunned. It wasn't like something from a movie – it wasn't the cliched moment where he realised this was where he fell in love with her. However, he realised she really had gotten older. She really had grown up. Which meant, of course, he had too.

Pan was looking like a beautiful young woman in a form-fitting black dress. It had cut-out triangles just below her breasts, slightly revealing her ribs. Even though only the smallest amount of skin was bare, being shown off, it was a very sexy sight. Over the top she'd thrown on a silver glittery-looking cropped bolero, which had a giant cream coloured beaded bow sewn onto the left hand side, almost like a brooch. Underneath her dress, she wore black tights. It was, after all, still cold outside.

"You look amazing, kid."

She accepted the compliment with grace, smiling. She was looking forward to the night ahead of them.

* * *

They had already hit up a club called Sam and Dave's to have a couple of quiet pre-drinks and play some pool. Trunks ended up beating her several times - he was experienced at the game, whereas Pan couldn't quite grasp the rules or the way the pool cue was held correctly. Now, they were just about to enter a nightclub called Triangle. From the doorway, they could see that it was packed with people and looked like it was the place to be, the hot-spot of Osaka. Pan had already caught the eyes of many male suitors around the building and all she had done was wait in line, flash her ID and get stamped on the wrist.

The attention did not go unnoticed – upon arriving at the bar, she managed to use it to her advantage and convince one of the random gentlemen to purchase drinks for her and Trunks. He was doubtful at first, because of Trunks, but she turned on the charm so much that it became hard for him to resist. Trunks was suitably impressed by her scamming skills when a tray of various coloured shots was placed in front of them. It looked like an alcoholic rainbow. He grabbed two for himself and passed another two to her. The two of them downed the miniature drinks almost immediately, Pan wincing slightly as the alcohol burned her throat.

"Nice work." He grinned, taking another shot and raising it to her before downing it completely.

"Thanks." She returned the grin, also taking a shot. "Your sister taught me how to do that."

"Typical Bra." Trunks rolled his light blue eyes sarcastically.

The pair polished off the last two shots and Pan blew a cheeky kiss at the male who had bought them for her. He was nearby, at the other end of the bar, surrounded by friends but distracted by her. An embarrassed look crossed his face.

"How do you do that?" Trunks asked her.

"What?"

"Not care."

"Two jagerbombs, please!" She requested from the bartender, thrusting some notes at him. "Not care? I care about the important things. I care about my family and my friends and my school work. I care about the planet. I don't care about trivial shit like men. I never have. It's why Kenta and I didn't last. I cared too much about school and not enough about him. Oh, why thank you." The bartender had returned with her drinks. She gave one of the jagerbombs to Trunks, then shrugged. "But that suits me just fine. Men are too complicated anyway. Especially the ones that I know."

The pair of them dropped the jagermeister shot into the glasses of Red Bull and drank thirstily.

"Now, shut up, let loose and dance with me old man!"

Laughing, Pan grabbed him by the hand and dragged him onto the dance floor, right into the throng of sweaty, gyrating bodies. Trunks wasn't a dancer, he absolutely despised it, but she always had been. She loved to be one with the music and to move. Even though her passion remained with words and writing, when she danced she expressed how she felt. She felt free. She felt like nobody could stop her from dancing her heart out. She danced like nobody was watching and like _everyone_ was watching all at once.

But Trunks _was_ watching. He watched as she let go of his hand and moved slightly away from him. She was about two metres away from him and hadn't joined in with the rest of the dancing teenagers just yet. A shake of her hips here, a toss of her hair there. He wondered just where she had picked it up from. University, perhaps? Maybe even his sister? Even from a young age, Bra had always acted, looked, and dressed older than she was. With every movement she made, Pan caught another man's attention. One in particular had decided he was brave enough to make a move on her. Part of this included dancing over to her, leaning close and whispering something in her ear. The line must have worked somewhat, because she giggled coquettishly.

Trunks admired her free spirit, her never-ending interest in fun. It was such a refreshing change from the boring old business men and women that he associated with on a daily basis. Hadn't there been a time in his life where he'd been just like her? Where everything was exciting, life a new adventure waiting to be had? He was so over the direction his life appeared to be taking. He felt like he needed to be taking the same kind of risks Pan was. He felt like maybe he'd made a start with this journey around the world... but it wasn't enough. A sudden rush of adrenaline overcame him. Blood pumping furiously within his veins, he grabbed his old friend by the hand, yanking her away from her flirty conversation with the second random male of the evening, and twirled her around. Pan grinned widely when she realised what he was doing. Together, they began doing a stupid and extremely embarrassing tango. They didn't really have the room to move around in or the music to match, and Trunks' two left feet sure didn't help how it probably looked from the outside looking in, but they had fun. And that was all he really wanted.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I am also sorry that this chapter is a little bit short. I have been so so so so busy with work and school assignments but hopefully I'm back in the game. I know exactly where this story is heading, I just need to fill in the blanks. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter though... I think it explored Trunks and Pan's respective personalities a bit more.

I hope to update my Beyblade story "Welcome to the Machine" as soon as possible so please stay tuned for that one as well!


	5. There Isn't Even Ten

**Map of the World**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

They had spent one of their last days in Osaka hitting up Universal Studios, the theme park. It had been a blast, with Pan squealing over the cuteness of Snoopy and the Snoopy Studios area of the park, and the two of them transforming into what they had dubbed "full-blown tourist mode" by wearing ponchos on the Jurassic Park water ride (they were the ones laughing when everyone else in their river boat complained about getting wet, however). While they had had enjoyed the Waterworld stunt show, they weren't too impressed by the acrobatics and stunts and both privately felt they could do better if they were apart of it.

After their day was over, they had travelled from Osaka and had made it into Kyoto later that evening. Kyoto wasn't very far so it hadn't been a long journey in the jetcopter. This time they weren't staying in a hotel room, but rather, one of Bulma's own, personally-designed capsule homes. It was similar to the one she'd used whilst on the road with Goku when originally searching for the Dragon Balls, perhaps Pan and Trunks' little journey had inspired her or filled her with fond memories of her own sojourns around the universe. She had slipped it in the box when Trunks was deciding what capsules to take with him. Whatever her reasoning behind it was, they loved the house. It came with most of the essentials – the rest they'd gone hunting for, which turned out to be a very amusing shopping trip.

"_Really, Pan?"_

_Trunks had raised an eyebrow at one of her additions to their shopping cart. It was a box of condoms._

"_That is most certainly **not** on the list."_

_He brandished a crumpled piece of paper at her. There were two types of handwriting scrawled all over it – the tiny, precise words were Trunks'. His additions were sensible things like cleaning products and toilet paper. Pan's handwriting was loopy and looked a bit rushed and her additions were mostly things like 'ice-cream' and 'candy'._

"_What?" she'd smiled innocently. He didn't trust that smile though. It wasn't innocence, it was pure evil. She'd used it on him only an aisle before in the feminine products section. While he tried to ignore the selections she made, she deliberately took her time picking and choosing, leaving him awkwardly standing by._

"_You never know when they'll come in handy, Briefs."_

_This reasoning was fair and true._

"_**You** may even get some use out of them someday!"_

_The box went flying at her head, which caused her to shriek loudly, and a shop assistant to glare at them angrily from the other end of the aisle. They had to behave after that, because he ended up following them down every aisle that remained._

Pan smiled at the memory.

Upon arriving back at their home, and during the unpacking of their groceries, she had next convinced him to actually cook them their dinner that night, instead of them travelling to a restaurant or ordering takeaway. He had been surprisingly amiable about this and it was here she learned that Trunks _loved_ to cook. He lived alone, without any of the help he could most certainly afford, and had fun making new and interesting meals for his breakfasts, lunches and dinner. It turned out that this was common knowledge amongst their group of family and friends, and Goten frequently sent him many recipes from the restaurant for inspiration. She'd been surprised at the fact she didn't know this, and wondered what else she had missed out on over the years.

They settled in for dinner, which ended up being a vegetable frittata (the vegetables being a variety of red and yellow peppers, zucchini and potato), which he creatively made in a rice cooker. He accompanied the meal with a glass of red wine each. Pan was amazed by it all, and was almost shocked speechless when the food actually turned out to be _good_. Trunks, a chef? She never would have picked it.

"Old man, you're going to make a girl very happy some day."

It was her way of complimenting him and he knew it.

"Thanks, kid."

The two continued their meal in silence, savouring the taste, the only noise being the sound of their chewing and the occasional sip of wine. The silence was broken by a blaring noise. Pan's cell phone was ringing (she didn't have a specific song set as her ringtone like most people did, just a generic tone she found on her phone – it was actually a very annoying tune and Trunks found himself wanting to throw her phone across the room upon first hearing it). At first she was going to let it go to voice mail, but picked up when she looked at the screen and saw it was Bra calling.

"That's weird." She commented, her expression quizzical. "Why is your sister ringing me?"

Trunks shrugged. He was focused on his food.

"Bra, hey!"

Pan hated it when she saw people answering their cell phones to numbers they already knew of and had saved in their phonebooks with a 'hello?'. She didn't see the point in questioning who they were if it had already displayed it on the screen. It was a major pet peeve of hers.

"Panny! How are you my dear? How's the adventure?"

"It's going great, B." She was the only one who was allowed to call her that. "Your brother and I are having an awesome time."

"That's great, hon." There was a pause. "So, listen..." _Here it is, _Pan thought knowingly. _The real reason she's calling._ "I was wondering if I could come and visit for a couple of days? I've got some time off work and thought I'd go a bit crazy and visit my best friend in the whole wide world and my favourite brother and see how they're doing."

"B, you only have _one_ brother. And we're fine."

Trunks looked up from his plate, curious. Bra laughed gaily and ignored the comment.

"It would only be a couple of days. We haven't heard anything from you guys and mom's just a little bit worried. Sooo... what do ya say?"

Sacrificing Bulma to the cause... well played, Bra Briefs. It was a lie and Pan knew it. And she knew that Bra knew she knew it was.

"Sure, Bra. I'll send you a text with our coordinates."

"Great, P! See you soon!"

The younger Briefs hung up the phone before Pan even had a chance to say goodbye. Shaking her head, she disconnected her end of the call before putting her phone back down on the table and reaching for her meal.

"Your sister..." she began, digging into the frittata with gusto. "... acts so weird sometimes."

Trunks laughed.

"I know. So, I take it she's coming to visit?"

"Yup. She tried to pretend your mother was worried about us."

"My _mother_?" He spluttered. "I think my sister is forgetting that I'm thirty-four years old. Mom doesn't give a shit about what I do any more. That's a terrible lie, even for Bra."

Bra was a master of manipulation. She was a meddler. She learned secrets and lies at her mother and father's knees.

"Well, at least we have that to look forward to now."

* * *

They didn't have to wait long.

It was the very next morning when there came a knocking at their capsule home door. It could only be Bra. They'd set up their home far away from prying eyes and they'd found a great spot that people rarely came by, even on travels. Pan had sent Bra their coordinates and location details right before they'd gone to bed last night (which had turned out to be quite late. Upon searching the house, they'd discovered that, stocked in one of the cupboards, was a plethora of board and card games Bulma must've put in there for them. It had been a great find, and, combined with red wine, had made for a very rambunctious game of **Guess Who?**. "_Does she fucking wear a hat with a little thingy on it? Oh... you know... a po... pon.. pom-pom."_ was a quote from the evening). The two intrepid travellers staggered their way to the door, the raven-haired girl holding her head in pain.

"For God's sake... your fucking sister! It's seven A.M!" She hissed, collapsing into a chair by the kitchen table.

Trunks responded with a groan and opened the door. This revealed not only his aqua-haired, blue-eyed 'fucking sister', several bags in her hand (and at her feet, just how long was she planning to stay again, exactly?) but his best friend as well. Goten. Well, that was a surprise. Not that it was a particularly bad one. It was just, neither of them had been expecting him since _Bra had mentioned nothing about him_. Typical Bra!

"Goten! Um, hello."

"Hey, Trunks." He placed his hand sheepishly behind his head in typical tried-and-true Son fashion. "Nice to see you."

"Goten?" Pan had perked up at the mention of his name and the sound of his voice, jumping off the chair (wincing as she did so) and rushing over the door. "Uncle G, what are you doing here?"

"Just thought B could use some company on the way over." A shrug. "I'm pretty sure everyone knows what a terrible pilot she is."

Both Trunks and Pan nodded in agreeance, causing Bra to shout "hey!".

Their respective relatives made their way inside, dumping their luggage by the sofa. It was decided over breakfast (Trunks cooked again, making them cheese, egg and sausage 'snack wraps'. Pan had forced him into it. They were all relieved when he did though... especially since the demi-Saiyan girl could not make something that wasn't out of a packet or microwavable. They remembered a surprise birthday dinner for Goten with shudders.) that the different sexes would split up during the day, for the first time ever, meeting up later in Gion for dinner. The boys were heading to Akasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu Temple, and the girls were setting off for Maruyama Park.

* * *

Barely a conversation was held between the two girls (just general idle chit-chat, really), until they reached their destination – Maruyama Park. It was a little bit windy and chilly out, so they were both decked out in scarves and gloves, but was thankfully not snowing. They had unfolded a picnic blanket and were unpacking their bento boxes for lunch, when Pan tried to corner her best friend.

"So B, what's the real reason you're here?"

Bra tried to dodge the question. She picked up her chopsticks and poked at the teriyaki chicken balls in her bento box. When they had been thoroughly stabbed, she moved onto the flavoured rice and vegetables. She was well aware that this was considered quite rude in Japan but was glad she was alone with her friend.

"What's going on between you and my brother?"

Pan was a little taken aback by the question. Her and Trunks? Her and _Trunks_? _Her_ and Trunks?

"Nothing." She answered honestly. "We're friends. I've never even looked at him like that. Not even when we were in space."

A thoughtful expression crossed Bra's features. A suspicious one crossed Pan's.

"_Why_? Does this have something to do with Goten? Is _that _why he's here?"

Bra had to give Pan some credit, she was incredibly intuitive.

"Well..." She squirmed a little in her seat on the blanket. "Maayybe..."

"Oh my god!" Pan screeched. "You and my uncle! Since WHEN?"

"A couple of months." Bra's cheeks were stained with a faint pink and she buried her face in her hands in embarassment. "Are you mad?"

"I'm more mad you didn't tell me. I think it's great, B."

"Seriously?" A pale blue eye, so similar to Trunks' own, peeked through a crack in between Bra's fingers. "You mean that?"

"Of course. Whatever makes you both happy."

Bra threw her hands down with a big sigh.

"I'm so relieved. I hope Trunks reacts the same way. We thought we'd break the news to you guys first to test the waters."

"Your parents don't even know?" Pan snorted. "Your mom will love it, but good luck with your dad."

"He is going to be the worst. He's probably going to try and beat Goten up."

"That's if Trunks doesn't get there first." The raven-haired girl joked.

* * *

The boys had already visited Akasaka Shrine and were making their way up the mountain to see Kiyomizu Temple and pay their respects there. However, as intuitive as Pan was, picking up on Bra's hints during her conversation with her, Trunks already knew. He knew they were together. He had guessed the moment Goten had walked in the door and called his sister 'B'. Everyone knew that she only ever allowed Pan to call her that, just like Pan only allowed Bra to call her 'P' (anyone else she would gladly punch over it). It was their thing.

He waited and waited for Goten to make the first move, but it never came. Eventually, he grew weary and asked,

"Are you fucking my sister?"

* * *

Later that night, Pan lay in her bed and thought. _Really_ thought. After the "question of doom" (as they'd later dubbed it, once the story had been re-told) had been sprung upon him, Goten had come out and told Trunks the truth. Like her, he was only mad they hadn't told him sooner. They'd all enjoyed their day out and had met up later in Gion, where they went maiko and geisha-watching and had dessert at a little cafe, hidden in the back streets of Kyoto. The girls had selected melon and ice-cream sodas and the boys had attempted to eat something with bean curd in it. It hadn't looked nice.

She thought about that, and she thought about Bra asking her about Trunks. No, she had honestly never thought of him that way. He was her friend, one of her best friends. This trip had been a blessing in disguise – it was giving her the opportunity to get to know him like she never really had before. In space searching for the Black Star Dragon Balls had been different. She'd been so young and didn't really have a clue. She was so naïve. Now she knew better. Now she knew _him_ better. Never before had she met someone as focused and dedicated as he was. _Except maybe his father_, she thought with a wry smirk. Trunks ate, slept and breathed work – ate, slept and breathed boredom. As far as she could tell, as far as he'd said, there was nothing else, just Capsule Corporation. 24/7. No love, no fun, no play. Just his focus. What drove people to be like that?

Pan saw herself as uncomplicated. Open. Funny. Wild. Life-embracing. She didn't think it was conceited to think like that, it was just the way she was. She accepted that. She felt like she lived by the ethos of the 'flower power' generation – free love, a free life. Things just didn't get any better than that.

She had to show him her way of life and prove that it was better than his. This trip was a great way to do it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I thought people might be bored _just_ reading about Pan and Trunks all the time.. and here are Bra and Goten to shake things up a little! So, their big revelation is that they're dating. Are you surprised? Honestly though, I really like Bra and Goten as well so it's fun to write about them. What do you think about them as an addition to the story? Would you have preferred for them to be left out or do you like it?

And what about Pan and Trunks? Pan says she's never looked at Trunks as anything more than a friend. Do you believe her? And what of Trunks?

What do you think of the chapter? Please read and review, I loved the feedback I got last chapter :)


	6. You're Already Feeling Old

**Map of the World**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

It had been a fun and busy few days with Bra and Goten. Pan nor Trunks would admit it to the other, but it was good to spend some time being with and talking to other people. It had all gone a bit too quickly. They had both needed the little break from each other, it'd been good for their friendship; their relationship on the road. They'd taken the couple for a morning at Nijo Castle, and a bike ride around town during the day. A visit to the Temple of the Golden Pavillion had filled most of the next day, and a stroll by Kamo River had done the same to the night. It had been a breath-taking evening – the river was beautiful, with lights strung through trees and shining in the dark. It was peaceful. It was quiet. Simply amazing.

Bra and Goten left the next day, promising they'd see them again soon. Pan hadn't told Trunks yet but his sister was still making her presence known by ringing and texting her every other day: "_are you and my brother together yet?_" She was like a fly you just couldn't swat away, a mosquito you just couldn't kill. And yet Pan couldn't just ignore her. However annoying Bra was, she was her very best friend and she had a sneaking suspicion the constant questions about her and Trunks were to make her feel better about having not told her parents about her relationship with Goten. Bra wasn't ashamed of him, she loved Goten with all her heart, but she was scared of her father's reaction and what he might do to Goten if (or when) he found out.

Pan had also never told Trunks about his sister's aspirations to see them together. How he'd laugh to hear her desires about them as a couple. Well, admittedly, she thought it ridiculous too, so maybe it wouldn't be too terrible an idea to trust him with the information.

The next few weeks had utterly flown by, with the oddball friends finishing up in Kyoto and beginning their trip again. They made stops in Nara (they had both loved the wild deer that roamed there) and Sagano, to see the bamboo groves. They'd been to Arashiyama to the monkey park. Trunks thought about the tail he'd never had due to a recessive trait. _Imagine_ transforming into the Golden Oozaru. It would probably be scarier than fusion, he was sure he'd lose control. Pan wondered why she'd never had a tail. Was it because of a recessive trait, like Trunks and Goten? Or was it simply because she was female? Did Saiyan females have the ability to grow a tail? After all, Bra didn't have a tail either. Could she go Super Saiyan? She fancied herself one of the strongest female fighters on the planet, next to Android 18. She'd far surpassed her mother in fighting talent a long time ago, but she'd never really attempted to quite reach _that_ level. Was it possible? Was it dependent on gender or blood? It was an interesting thought, and she made a mental note to discuss it all with Vegeta some time. Perhaps he'd have the answers she was seeking.

The trip so far had been a dream. She was finally doing the thing she wanted – travelling the world. It was providing her with great material to write about. Most nights Pan would lie awake in bed, long after Trunks had fallen asleep, jotting down bits and pieces about the things she'd experienced thus far. Sometimes she even scribbled notes about Trunks and her ever-changing relationship with them. Of course they'd been close during their time in space together. But they had, sadly, grown apart as they'd grown older. This chance trip together had really given them the opportunity to change that. She was learning things about him she didn't know, like his newly found ability to cook. He didn't like dogs. He was crazy about things like math and science.

One day he annoyed her more than he'd ever annoyed her in their lives.

* * *

"Truuuuuunks!" Pan made her way into his bedroom that random, sunny morning. He was strangely still asleep. He rarely slept in. The occasions he did they'd been up extremely late or had been drinking. The future journalist threw open his blinds, letting the sunlight in, and dove onto the lump that was hiding beneath the doona.

"Wake up sleepy-head!"

She picked up one of the pillows he wasn't using and belted him with it.

"Ow, what the _fuck_!" This exclamation of annoyance was muffled due to the way he was face-down into his other pillow.

"It's Saturday! Today we're going to lunch and seeing that play, remember?"

The female Saiyan was extremely excited about the play. It was a Japanese adaptation of the novel, _The Age of Innocence _by Edith Wharton, which was one of her favourite books of all time. She hadn't hated the movie starring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day Lewis either. She had learned about the performance during their travels when reading a brochure someone had handed to her and had called and booked tickets immediately. She'd spent days talking about it.

There was silence.

"Pan..." Trunks' voice was very quiet. "I don't think I'm going to go. I'm too tired."

"W-what...?" Her own voice quavered slightly. This was like a slap in the face. A punch in the guts. _Of course _he wouldn't be able to make it to the one thing she really wanted to go to and had been looking forward to since the moment of discovery. _Of course!_ "But I booked tickets!"

"I'm really sorry, kid."

"Fine. Whatever." Pan tried to calm down and maintain her rational thinking, even though anger was welling up inside of her so quickly she felt like it could burst out of her at any second. "I'll just go with someone else. But for god's sake Trunks, you're not _that_ frigging old. We haven't had that many late nights!" With that cutting comment, she tossed her black locks of hair over her shoulder, and stormed out of the room in a huff, slamming the door loudly behind her. She wanted to hurt him like he'd hurt her, but he didn't hear it. He didn't even feel it. He was already asleep.

* * *

He was still sleeping when she returned many hours later. This time he did hear the front door open (and slam shut) and wondered what time it was. His phone said that it was seven PM. He'd been sleeping for almost twelve full hours after Pan had left that morning. Groggily, he dragged himself out of bed and out into the kitchen, the location of all the noise and voices. Yes, Pan was there, but she wasn't alone. She had followed through with her promise of finding someone else to go with – that someone else was a sleazy-looking Italian man (it would've been possible to make hot chips for their dinner with the amount of grease slicked through his hair) named Michael. Trunks was disgusted to see he was also fulfilling every stereotype possible by wearing a black leather jacket, combined with one of those Ed Hardy shirts everyone off the Jersey Shore seemed to wear and... were those acid-washed jeans? No, they couldn't be.

"Trunksie!" His long-time friend squealed upon seeing him lurch sleepily into the room. Her voice was very loud and a little bit slurred. She was either a little inebriated or on her way there. "How was your day? As good as mine, I hope."

The half-Saiyan shrugged. He had nothing to say. What could he say? He'd spent half the day sleeping and was still tired. He just wasn't in the mood. It wasn't like him at all.

"The play was amazing. You _really_ missed out."

"Stop it Panno."

Trunks growled at the girl, his hackles already up. He wasn't going to let her antagonise him and purposely make him feel bad for not going. She could be a real pain in the ass when she wanted to be.

"Hey man," Michael drawled lazily. "Let her talk about her day. We had fun. Be cool."

The lavender-haired man turned his head toward Pan's new companion, eyebrow raised. Was this guy _serious?_

"Please don't get involved." He requested of the newcomer as politely as possible, before turning back to the girl. "I think you need to get into your pyjamas and go to bed."

Now it was Pan's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Are you for real Trunks?"

"Yes."

The quarrelsome girl exploded with rage. Looking back on the day, she would describe herself like a volcano – she erupted. The fact that she had been drinking had not helped matters any.

"What the _fuck_? Are you my friend or my _father_? I'm twenty, I'm an adult and you don't tell me what to do just because _you **are** old_!"

"Pan, I'm -" He began to apologise, not wanting to get into this argument with her, not wanting to get into _any _kind of argument with her. They were meant to live and travel together for a very long time, fighting amongst themselves wouldn't do anyone any good.

"Look man!" Michael interrupted. "Back the hell off!"

Trunks turned on him.

"No, you '_look man_'! Didn't I tell you not to interfere? This has absolutely fucking nothing to do with you, so why are you still here?"

"Pan is _my_ _friend_." The newcomer put his hands in the middle of Trunks' chest and shoved him.

"You only fucking met her today!" Now, the half-Saiyan was pissed off. He was still tired. He just wanted to curl back up in bed and sleep some more, not deal with Pan and her bullshit. He shoved Michael back twice as hard, making him stumble. "This is none of your business! Get the hell out of my house!"

"You made the decision to not come with me, not him! I don't want him to leave!" Pan yelled loudly, protesting the decision.

"Too fucking bad!" Trunks shot back, his face growing redder with each word. "Buddy, if you don't get out right now, I will remove you myself!"

Michael wasn't entirely stupid. He took one long look at Trunks, his angry expression and the sheer size of his body and scampered out the door in rush, which banged loudly behind him. Silence fell over the two remaining in the kitchen, in the distance they could hear Michael jumping in his own jet-copter and taking off. Pan turned to Trunks and broke the silence. Her voice was shaking with rage as she began to say, "How dare you -"

She stopped abruptly when she saw the look on Trunks' face. It was still pink even though he'd stopped yelling. It was then that she also noticed the sheen of sweat on his forehead. Furrowing her eyebrows in concern, she raised a palm to his forehead (diligently ignoring the sweat) to feel his temperature.

He was burning up.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Haha, a little bit of a cliffhanger to end the chapter! I'm in a good mood and on a roll writing-wise, so here's another update for you all! I actually have a really sweet "scene" planned for the next chapter so please stay tuned for that one!

Thought I would comment on the reviews I got for the last chapter as well:

**The0Blind0Writer:**I'm glad you are enjoying the story thus far (hope you like this chapter too). Good idea about Goten and Bra, too! Please keep reading and reviewing!

**Son's-child: **Yeah, Bra and Goten were never going to be a permanent addition to the story, just a nice little one to break up all the Trunks and Pan. And, like I said, I love them as well so it was fun to write about them! Maybe I'll write a B/G solo story someday soon!

**review: **Thanks for the review, I understand where you're coming from when you say it's a bit boring. It's a valid point. I agree that it needs a little 'spice' and hopefully this chapter has given you that spice and drama. I will say though, that it is a sort of 'road story' and all of this... all of these conversations are very meaningful and will act as a catalyst for where the story is heading (sort of like the last two Harry Potter movies/the split in them). I know where everything's going, I just need to fill in the gaps in between! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

On a side note fanfiction fans, my Beyblade story **"Welcome to the Machine"** will be updated shortly. I am also going to just plug the story **"Make A Wish" by aria710**. I just got up to date with it and I think it's amazing. It's really well-written _and_ an original story idea. I'd recommend it to everyone, especially Bulma/Vegeta fans. There is also a sequel, titled **"Aftershocks"**.


	7. Some Far Off Feelings

**Map of the World**

**Title:** Map of the World

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Wait and see.

**Summary: **Pan wants to defer from university for a year to travel. Trunks needs a break from working so hard. A story about the distances one will go for a friend.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT.

**Author's Note: **AU. Although the events of Dragon Ball GT (Black Star, Baby, Super 17, and Shadow Dragon sagas) have already transpired, Mr. Buu is alive in this story and not fused with Uub (mostly because I like Buu a lot and wanted to write about him). It is also set in current-day Japan. I don't think it is ever said that they live in Japan but it is as close to Japan as can be, in my opinion. With this in place, I am also under the assumption that other places like America, Canada, Australia, etc. exist on their Earth. I have tried to stick as closely to canon as possible though!

* * *

He was burning up.

"Kami, Trunks... are you _sick_?"

The half-Saiyan responded very articulately by throwing up.

Throwing up on both the kitchen floor and himself.

Unfortunately for her, she even caught some of the splatter as it hit the floor.

"Oh, gross!" Pan exclaimed, hopping around, lifting her brand spanking new (thanks to grandpa Hercule's money) black Christian Louboutin heels away from the puddles of sick. She was _not_ going to let him ruin them with his vomit. She'd gone all out in regards to her attire for the play and was currently decked out in a glamorous looking dress. The top half was a halter-neck, the neckline decorated with cute ruffles and it was a pretty shade of violet. The bottom half was a pale shade of yellow and covered in purple and white flowers rimmed with black. A bright yellow belt cinched her waist in, separating the two halves quite nicely, and it showed off her well-trained body. However, any inebriation she had felt earlier was now forgotten and any anger she held inside toward Trunks had been thrown out the window as all thoughts were focused on him and him alone. What exactly could she do to help?

"I'm sorry Panno." Trunks groaned, covering his mouth with his hand. "I'm pretty sure I'm sick."

"No shit, dumbass." She responded brusquely, in the process of removing her 'prized possession' shoes. She tossed them across the room onto one of the couches (not really the way to treat Louboutins, and kind of defeating her furious thoughts about not letting him ruin them) and placed her hands on the small of his back, pushing him toward their shared bathroom. She forced him to sit down beside the toilet, where he threw up again (thankfully _into _it this time and not onto the floor), and began running the water in the bath, apparently drawing him one. Pan made sure that the water was not too hot but not too cold (she didn't want him freezing to death, after all) before she turned to him.

"Alright, get in. Strip."

"_What_?" Her friend yelled as loudly as he could. "Get out!"

The raven-haired female raised an eyebrow, not amused.

"Oh, Trunks, what are you – five? I'm not going to tell everyone if I see your wang."

"Did you just call it a _wang_? Aren't you studying for a Bachelor in Journalism?"

Her dark eyes narrowed dangerously at the comment.

"Don't cross me, Briefs. Now get out of yours."

When he still hesitated about getting naked in front of her, she reached forward and grabbed the hem of his shirt. "This is going to be disgusting," Pan cheerfully sang her warning in advance, before yanking the shirt up and over his head. She could hear his exclamations of horror as the faintly soggy and sticky shirt hit his face on the way up. "Now, I'm going to go clean up that mess in the kitchen. I'll be back in ten minutes. You better be in that bathtub by the time I get back or I'll go Super Saiyan on your ass."

"I'd like to see you try!" was Trunks' biting and oh-so witty comeback, knowing full well that she had never turned Super Saiyan in her life. They didn't even know if it was possible for a female to. She just glared at him and flounced out of the room. He could hear her banging around in the cupboards under the kitchen sink, searching for their cleaning products, as he stripped down to his birthday suit and jumped into the bath tub. The first thing he did was pick up a bar of soap and duck his face under the water, wanting to get the grossness of his shirt off of it. The water felt nice against his burning skin, it was exactly the perfect temperature. He lay there lazily, trying to ignore the nauseous feeling in his stomach. He was pretty sure he had food poisoning or something like that, _why_ had he chosen to have the seafood buffet at the restaurant they'd been to last night? Pan was smart and had chosen the several dishes of pasta, so of course she wasn't suffering. How could he have been so stupid? It was probably the dumbest thing he'd done in a long time.

**xxxx**

As she had predicted, Pan was back within ten minutes. She had managed to clean up the entire kitchen and also get changed into a pair of tracksuit pants and an old thin grey sweater. She had rolled the sleeves up and wrapped a pink bandanna around her head (did she have an endless supply of them of something?). She looked like Trunks had employed her as his cleaning lady or his maid, especially since she was holding a large bucket full of the cleaning products she'd just used in the kitchen. When he heard her approaching the door, he immediately scrambled to cover himself up with one of their many wash cloths.

"Why exactly _are_ you coming back in here, kid?" He questioned when she stopped in the doorway.

"You're sick." She looked miffed. "You need to be taken care of. Just think of me as Nurse Pan."

"Nurse Pan is fine." A wink was directed her way. "But does it have to be when I'm, you know... _naked_? In a _bath_?"

"Oh, grow up Trunks." Pan rolled her eyes. "Just let me do something for you for once."

She made her way over to the bath tub and knelt down beside it. The cleaning products were dumped by the door and the bucket was placed close to the bath tub ("just in case you need to throw up again", she said). Once she'd dipped another one of their wash cloths into the bath and soaped it up, she began scrubbing his back gently.

It actually felt quite nice.

He closed his eyes.

He had never really had anyone take care of him before. Oh, sure, Bulma and his grandparents had fussed over him like nothing else when he was younger. That came with being such an adorable kid, of course. And the fact he was Bulma's first-born child, their first grand-son. That sort of thing was important. But when he started getting older, he had wanted to become a success - make something of himself. And he'd become President of Capsule Corporation. It hadn't been an easy journey. He had worked his way up, started from the very bottom of the ladder. He'd climbed the rungs to the top. He'd tried very hard to be independent. He'd moved out at something like eighteen years of age - he couldn't quite remember now, it was so long ago - and had owned several more properties by the age of twenty-one. He didn't have a butler or a porter or a valet or anything like that near his own home. It was all him. He did everything for himself. Cleaning, cooking. It was how he'd become so good at it. There was no one else to rely on. No one else in his life. And what did that mean he was? Trunks supposed he was old enough to be thinking about settling down, thinking of marriage and babies and yet he'd never afforded himself the opportunity. Could he still?

"Trunks?" Pan's quiet voice snapped him out of his own thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I acted like a jerk earlier." She hung her head in shame, cheeks reddening. She was not usually a coward, she knew when to admit she'd gone wrong. "I just really wanted you to go with me. I wanted you to see something that I was interested in."

"Don't be stupid, don't worry about it. I'm just sorry I couldn't go." He paused for effect. "That guy was a douche though."

Pan felt the need to try and defend herself.

"He wasn't that bad!"

"Pan." Trunks eyed her very seriously. "He was a total tool."

"Okay, okay, fine... he was all I could find at the last minute though."

"It's hard to replace me, I know."

Then he threw up again, this time into the perfectly placed bucket beside the bath tub. Pan tried to ignore the sound it made as it hit the bottom and hummed to distract herself.

"Yeah, real hard. You missed a spot," she stated, referring to him wiping his face only seconds after puking. She picked up her washcloth and cutely wiped it off.

"You make me feel like I'm about a much younger person."

The girl smirked.

"I can get you a rubber ducky if you like."

The two sat in silence for a minute or two, Pan had moved on to scrubbing down his shoulders and arms.

"Right, now let me do your front."

"Pan, you are not _doing my front_."

"That's what she said."

Trunks looked at her quite sternly. She returned the look. He could not be bothered fighting. The food poisoning had drained him of all his energy.

"Fine." He sighed. "But stay above the water."

Pan reached over to start washing his neck and chest. The situation remained quite calm and serene until Trunks took it upon himself to heave his guts all over her and _not _into the bucket she had brought into the bathroom especially for him. The female demi-Saiyan shrieked in disgust, immediately throwing her sweater off and onto the floor. She stood there in her bra and tracksuit pants, glaring down at him in a fit of rage.

"You prick!"

"Sorry!" He couldn't help but laugh. "I really am, I swear!"

"Gross. It went _through_ my sweater. Ugh."

And then she did one of the most random things he thought he'd ever seen her do. She hopped into the bath with him, clothed and all, kindly sitting behind him (presumably so that his 'wang' as she had so eloquently put it, was still covered from her view). He didn't dare look back at her. He really didn't think it was appropriate to. This was his kid sister's best friend and his mentor's daughter, sitting in the same bath as him, partially clothed. He could hear her splashing the water, probably onto herself, and it only made him feel more awkward. Then he felt her hand on his shoulder, tapping it softly to get his attention.

"What?" He grunted.

"I'm gonna wash your hair now, 'kay?"

He heard her squirting the shampoo into his hair, felt her hands on his head. She began working the liquid into a lather, massaging it into his scalp.

"Relax Trunks, fuck."

He tried to. He really did. But his mind was buzzing. He found that he'd never really thought about her hands before. The way they were actually quite small and delicate and really, really soft. How could something so tiny be capable of so much destruction? He'd seen her fight, he'd seen her kick ass, he'd even seen her throw some energy beams. He'd seen her send villains back to Hell. How did she manage it? They were so little. So easily breakable. He was pretty sure he could crush her hands with his own. And they were soft. Did he already think that? What, did she moisturize them everyday or something? They felt like... like, silk. Or something. Maybe. Possibly?_ Arghhhhhhh!_

Trunks let her dunk his head under the water when she deemed his hair clean. He felt like a robot. Then he told her that he wanted to go to bed. She didn't look surprised, he was sick after all, but she didn't seem to have found the whole experience as strange and mind-fucking as he had. At his request, she closed her eyes as he stepped out of the bath, feeling weird. He wanted to sleep.

**xxxx  
**  
After making several trips back to the bathroom during the dead of the night to throw up again, Trunks had finally fallen into a deep sleep. In between puking sessions, he had still not come to a conclusion about his awkward experience with Pan in the bath tub. In spite of that, he slept well into the morning and when he finally awoke the next day, the clock read 1:37PM. That was a major sleep-in for him. He was exhausted but didn't feel like throwing up, the rest and relaxation had done him some good. Much like a zombie, he staggered into the kitchen. He was met with the sight of Pan. Their situations were reversed. She was asleep at the kitchen table, using her arms for a pillow, her hair fanned out around her like she was some kind of mermaid or fairytale princess or something. Trunks spied a tube of red lipstick, a magazine, bits of cardboard and a slip of paper beside her and wondered exactly what his friend had been doing before she'd fallen asleep.

Curious, he flipped over the piece of paper and saw that it was a receipt from the local supermarket. He looked over what she'd purchased - a box of 24 500ml bottles of water, two boxes of tissues, some pulp-free orange juice, a can of Campbell's tinned chicken soup, a box of crackers, a loaf of bread, some Pepto-Bismol medicine and the magazine. What did it all have in common? It clicked in his mind that she had purchased it all for him, trying to be helpful. Trying to be nice. They were all things that were supposed to help a sick person. He smiled gratefully, then looked carefully at the magazine, apparently it had come with a free sample of MAC's Russian Red lipstick! Well, that explained why there was lipstick on the table - Pan herself wasn't wearing makeup, apparently choosing to go 'au natural' for the day. So she hadn't used it on her face. The next step was looking at the bits of cardboard. They'd seemingly been ferociously ripped from the box the water had come in (Trunks could just make out the brand name on the other side). Pan had written something on it, using the lipstick like a pen. She'd written: **GET WELL SOON, OLD MAN. I COULDN'T BEAR IT IF YOU DIED**** :)**.

_Awww._**  
**

* * *

**Author's Note: **I am _soooo_ sorry about the long absence! It's literally been about three months. Both life and work (I have been so busy in this regard) have just caught up with me. Hopefully I should be updating a bit more regularly from now on, fingers crossed!

Here is a new chapter though - there's not very much "on the road" details in this one! There's a lot of fluffiness and more of that "spice" to make it interesting and whatnot... hope everyone enjoyed this one. I think it's different to all of the other chapters I've uploaded, a lot more humour in this one and more progression of the relationship between the two characters.

On a side note fanfiction fans, my Beyblade story "**Welcome to the Machine**" was updated about a week ago and should be again soon. Please check it out if you are a fan of that series! As for other stories - I'm going to plug my new favourite Dragon Ball Z fanfic! I may start doing this every chapter. Anywho, the story is called "**Three Years of Uneaten Strawberries**" by **AlwaysHatedEssays**. It's another really well-written Bulma/Vegeta story. It's rare that people can personify the characters so perfectly. Often people make them too out of character or too soft or too hard. I feel like this one hits the nail on the head and gets it just right. It's definitely worth checking out!


End file.
